[p2p-research] Post-Depression first: Americans get more money from government than they give back | csmonitor.com

[Samuel Rose]

On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 2:41 PM, Paul D. Fernhout
<pdfernhout at kurtz-fernhout.com> wrote:
> Ryan Lanham wrote:
>>
>> On 11/25/09, J. Andrew Rogers <reality.miner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Yes, they are that powerful.  Who do you think created legislation and
>>> lobbied for very long mandatory sentences for relatively minor crimes?
>>> Every election season, the prison unions spend many millions of
>>> dollars pushing legislation and initiatives that will put more people
>>> in prison longer.
>>
>>
>> Here's the facts from a Republican leaning newspaper:
>> http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060228/news_1n28guards.html
>>
>> I just checked here, and the rates are about (a little lower than) what we
>> pay in the Cayman Islands at average and starting levels.
>
> Just to support Andrew's point, consider as an analogy New York, which
> recently reformed its drug laws after thirty years, only by overcoming
> opposition by Republicans representing districts with big prisons.
>
> From:
> "N.Y. Governor, Lawmakers Agree To Soften Drug Sentencing Laws"
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/27/AR2009032702834.html?hpid=topnews
> """
> NEW YORK, March 27 -- Gov. David A. Paterson (D) and legislative leaders on
> Friday announced an agreement to roll back the state's strict, 36-year-old
> drug laws, including eliminating tough mandatory minimum sentences for
> first-time, nonviolent drug offenders.
> ...
> Then in November, Democrats captured the state Senate for the first time in
> years. The State Assembly in the past had proposed repealing the drug laws,
> but the effort was always blocked by Senate Republicans, many of whom
> represent largely rural, Upstate districts where most of the state's prisons
> are located.
> """
>
> It may not be as simple as "prison unions", but clearly employment and
> profits are a big part of the dynamics of creating laws about crime and
> punishment in the USA.
>



The discussion of prison guard unions is only part of the picture. The
strongest prison expansion lobby is likely to be corporations that
build and manage many of these prisons. Private run prisons are some
of the most lucrative businesses in America. (at least, Corrections
Corp of America, largest corp managing prisons, is ding really well
http://thevalueatrisk.blogspot.com/2009/08/private-prisons-reliable-american.html
)

Prison guard unions may be lobbying for long terms, but the private
corps are right there with 'em

Found this too

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/73092-Freedom-watch-Jailhouse-bloc/


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